On Nov. 2 of this year, you and the Catholic Education Foundation set multiple records. Using my fave sports analogies, the evening was a no-hitter, it was a grand slam, it was a Hail Mary pass completed, it was a hat trick, it was a three-pointer at the buzzer. Think of any other winning sports comparison you like — it was a very, very special evening!

It was special for many reasons. We had our “Angels Among Us” past honorees with us, celebrating our 10- year Gaudeamus reunion.

We had a record crowd of 1,388. We had a record number of “sponsor a child” gifts given that night – 481. Last, but certainly not least, we raised over $865,000 to provide scholarships for children in need. How cool is that?

The congratulations go to you! It is unbelievable and very humbling to our foun- dation to see the number of people who care about our CEF kids. I had one attendee tell me that our CEF kids are their kids. You/they are taking ownership of these children in need and are heckbent on making sure they are given a Catholic education opportunity.

I have to give a shout-out to our CEF board, 29 strong. Each and every one of our board members attended as sponsors and was an integral part of the success of this year’s Gaudeamus event. Ladies and gentlemen, THANK YOU!

I had multiple people share the following with me:

“Michael, the CEF is doing great things as they help thousands of children attend our Catholic schools. But, just as important, the CEF is helping to remind us of the importance of a Catholic education. The families and children you help don’t take this opportunity for granted. The student speaker tonight was a perfect example. So, thanks to CEF for reminding us how important a Catholic education is – not only to our church, but also our society today.”

As I end this congratulatory “kick bottom” writing, I want to THANK YOU again for caring about our CEF kids. We could not be doing what we are doing without you. CEF is giving over 1,300 children the opportunity to attend one of our CEF schools during the current school year.

However, we have identified over 200 more kids who are not able to attend because they/we don’t have the resources to allow them that opportunity. We have to keep winning in an effort to close this gap!